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In all countries in Europe, the underlying concern in the reform of primary care is the achievement of a better match between supply and demand with a view to rationalising, if not improving, access. The proportion of doctors in the community, their geographical distribution and the productivity of general practitioners, whose role as gatekeepers is being developed, constitute key criteria in determining supply regulation policies.This article provides an overview of the current organisation of health care provision by general practitioners in several European countries, i.e. Germany, Spain, France, Italy, the United Kingdom and Sweden. Three main aspects of the system giving access to primary care are considered: the geographical distribution of doctors, the rules governing access to health care and those governing payment of general practitioners.